Megan Rapinoe has had herself quite the month.
Rapinoe, the star of the Seattle Reign of the National Women’s Soccer League, was a main cog in the U.S. women’s national soccer team claiming the Women’s World Cup on Sunday. She scored the goal that stood up as the game winner in the 2-0 victory over The Netherlands in the championship game, she won the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer (six goals and three assists in seven games), and she was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. She is an international women’s soccer icon.
And yet she may not even be the most iconic athlete in her own household.
Rapinoe and Seattle Storm star Sue Bird constitute Seattle’s sporting power couple. They both are entrenched in the Seattle sports scene — Bird has been with the Storm since 2002, Rapinoe with the Seattle Sounders Women and Reign since 2012. Both have been among the world’s greatest players within their sport, with a long list of honors and accomplishments.
So who deserves top bragging rights in their Queen Anne condo?
First, here’s the file on each:
SUE BIRD
Age: 38
Hometown: Syosset, New York
Position: Point guard
College: Played at Connecticut, where she was a two-time All-American and helped the Huskies win national championships in 2000 and 2002.
Professional: Was the first-overall selection in the WNBA draft by Seattle in 2002. Led the Storm to WNBA championships in 2004, 2019 and 2018, is an 11-time WNBA all-star, and is the league’s all-time leader in career assists.
International: Has won four Olympic gold medals and four World Cup gold medals with USA Basketball.
MEGAN RAPINOE
Age: 34
Hometown: Redding, California
Position: Forward
College: Played at Portland, where she was a two-time All-American and helped the Pilots win the national championship in 2005.
Professional: Was the second-overall selection in the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer draft by the Chicago Red Stars. Her 34 goals are seventh all-time in NWSL history, and she’s a four-time selection to the NWSL Best XI or Second XI.
International: Has won two Women’s World Cup gold medals and one Olympic gold medal with the U.S. national team, winning both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the 2019 Women’s World Cup as the tournament’s top scorer and player.
That’s a crazy amount of hardware to try and fit on one mantle.
So who do you think has been the greater sports star, Bird or Rapinoe? Register your opinion here:
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